Attractions

Roman Arena
Castelvecchio
Duomo
Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore
Piazza Bra
Piazza delle Erbe
Juliet's House
Piazza dei Signori
Roman Theatre


Roman Arena

Built in the first century AD, this is one of the most important and best conserved Roman amphitheaters. It is called "Arena" from the Latin name for the sand that covers the stage where the shows took place. The stage is elliptical in shape with beams measuring 74 x 44 meters internally and 152 x 123 meters externally.
The seating area, called "cavea," is made up of 44 levels and can still hold 22,000 spectators. Since 1913 it has hosted the celebrated lyric opera season of Verona in the summer months.

Opening Hours: 8 am to 7 pm, days of performance 8:15 am to 3:30 pm. Closed on Mondays. Admission L. 6000, students L. 1500.


Castelvecchio

This is the largest civil architectural monument of medieval Verona. The Scaligeri had it built towards the middle of the 14th century when they began to doubt the loyalty of the city.
Its history through the centuries documents the ups and downs of Verona: the Scaligeri rule, a brief Visconti period, Venetian, Neapolitan and Austrian domination, up to the Kingdom of Italy. Castelvecchio, built by Cangrande II, was a residence, munitions depository, military college and barracks until 1925, when it became the site of the Civic Art Museum.
It presently holds Venetian paintings and sculptures from the 14th to 17th centuries, including works by Pisanello, Veronese, Tiziano and Tintoretto. The equestrian statue of Cangrande I della Scala, gentleman of Verona, dominated the courtyard from an overhanging structure. Castelvecchio is connected to the opposite bank of the Adige by the powerful Scaligero Bridge, erected originally in the first half of the first century AD and restored during the Scaligeri rule. Destroyed during World War II, it was rebuilt using some original materials.


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Duomo

Built in the 12th century on the site of a late medieval church, it was changed and enlarged during the 15th and 16th centuries. Characteristics of the Romanesque and gothic periods blend harmoniously on the facade. The doorway is splendid. It precedes a two-leveled portico, bearing important sculptures and reliefs made in the 12th century. The interior was built in the gothic style. An altarpiece by Tiziano, entitled "Assunta" (1535), can be admired in the first chapel on the left, along with other priceless works of art. Adjacent to the Duomo is the baptistery of San Giovanni in Fonte, built in the 12th century. It contains a precious baptismal font from Verona's Romanesque school.


Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore

This is one of the masterpieces of Italian Romanesque architecture. Paleo-Christian in origin, it was built in three phases, between the 12th and 14th centuries, when the apse was remade in gothic form and a three-lobed wooden ceiling was raised over the central nave.
The ivory-colored facade was decorated with a large rose window from the beginning of the 13th century. Its doorway is furnished with a "protiro," with reliefs by the master Nicolo (1138), and a beautiful bronze door from the 12th century. A masterpiece of medieval European sculpture, it is made up of 48 bronze tiles that represent scenes from the Old and New Testaments and episodes from the life of San Zeno. The body of San Zeno, patron saint of the city, lies within the crypt. Over the main altar there is a stupendous triptych, which was assembled in 1459 by Andrea Mantegna, representing the Madonna on the throne surrounded by saints and angels. The altar platform (a minor side triptych) is a copy of the original one taken away by Napoleon, which still remains in France. The little adjacent cloister with arcades made from binate columns, the bell tower and the abbey tower are also splendid.


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Piazza Bra

Once a suburban field ("braida"), this is now the center of Verona.
The piazza is large and airy and partially kept as a garden. It is dominated by the massive stone Arena. To the southeast it is bordered by the neoclassical Barbieri Palace, headquarters of the Town Hall. To the south it is bordered by the 17th century Gran Guardia Palace, a baroque building once used for military gatherings. On the other side is Viale Liston, with its wide, pink marble sidewalk, where the Veronese traditionally take their "passeggiata" (stroll).


Piazza delle Erbe

This piazza, on the site of the ancient Roman forum, is now a lively marketplace.
At the center is the Fountain of the Verona Madonna, commissioned by Cansignorio della Scala. The Roman statue
that stands over the fountain is one of the symbols of the city. On the left side of the piazza, to the southwest, is the 14th century Domus Mercatorium, ancient headquarters of the merchants association. Maffei Palace, a lavish baroque building, and the Gardello Tower, built by Cansignorio della Scala in 1370, are at the back of the piazza.
Proceeding along the right side of the piazza, we encounter the medieval Lamberti Tower, begun in 1172 and extended and finished in the 15th century. From the top (83 meters), there is a wide view over the ancient city. The tower is connected to the Domas Nova (also called Palace of the Judges) by the Costa Arch. The last building on the right, Casa Mazzanti, is decorated with recently restored 16th century frescoes.


Juliet's House

At the end of the via Mazzini on the right is via Cappello. Number 23 is the original building of 1200, many times rebuilt. Custodian of the myth of the two unhappy lovers, immortalized by Shakespeare, this house of the Capulet family with its celebrated balcony, symbolic of love, is a destination for visitors from all over the world.





Opening Hours: 8 am to 7 pm. Closed: Monday
Admission: L. 5000; students L. 1500; groups L. 3000.


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Piazza dei Signori

Conceived as a kind of open-air stage, this piazza was the headquarters of public civic institutions. It is surrounded by monumental buildings. A monument to Dante (1865) stands in the center. On the right side is the City Palace or Palace of Reason,
built in the 12th century but reconstructed in the Renaissance. Inside this palace is the courtyard of the Old Market, with its Romanesque-shaped doorway. The entrance has a triforo above and an external gothic stairway with two flights of stairs. Across the piazza rises the loggia of the Council, symbol of the early Renaissance in Verona. Erected between 1476 and 1493, its lower floor contains a rhythmic series of wide and harmonious arcades, the one above, enriched by notable decorations, is opened up by elegant bifore overarched by a series of sculptures by Alberto of Milan. In the back of the piazza, the space is closed by the Scaligeri Palace, built at the end of the 13th century but often renovated. The building is now the headquarters of the Prefecture and the Province.


Roman Theatre

Begun in the first century BC, the Roman Theatre was built for ritual and theatrical productions. It is located on the left bank of the Adige, at the base of the Hills of St. Peter's, between the Roman Della Pietra Bridge and the destroyed Postumio Bridge.
The theatre remained buried for many centuries, until excavations began in the 19th century. These brought to light an impressive structure that now hosts productions of prose and dance, managed by Rome's summer theatre program (Ente Comunale Estate Teatrale).
Only the lower-level seating and part of the stage is visible, because the upper part of the terracing has not been rebuilt.